Chris Rainey and Four Past Great Football Players with Questionable Character

This week's Florida Gators football headlines were centered on Chris Rainey channeling his inner Elijah Dukes by using text messages as a medium for threats. Rainey is the 27th Florida Gator to be arrested since Urban Meyer took the helm as head coach in Gainesville.

This story has created a buzz about college football teams recruiting 5-star athletes with 1-star character.

Some say that you cannot field a winning team without going after a few kids that are questionable in character. Perhaps this is why Tim Tebow was regarded in the manner he was. Throughout his entire ultra-successful collegiate career he had no character issues off the field. He also may be the reason Florida's arrest record isn't as talked about as its winning percentage.

Let's take a look at five of the greatest athletes on the field for championship-winning teams that have been marked with character issues off the field in the last 15 years.

Chris Rainey: Florida Gators

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GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 04: Chris Rainey #3 of the Florida Gators runs after making a reception against the Miami University RedHawks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. Florida beat Miami 34-12. (Photo by Sam G

Chris Rainey is as far from Tim Tebow as any of this year's Florida Gators can be. He started his career with Florida making comments about the coeds on campus and the type of women he prefers to date. Then at the beginning of this season he had some questionable comments about his departed teammates.

"I guess we got rid of the prima donnas and the [selfish] cats," Rainey said. "There are no rock stars this year, definitely not. You can say cliques or [selfish] cats, stuff like that, worried about themselves, worried about trying to get to the NFL."

Rainey is no rock star, on or off the field. He is a good player but not a great player. He must not realize that those prima donnas are the most decorated class of University of Florida football players in the school's history.

Reggie Bush: USC Trojans

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 03: Reggie Bush #5 of the USC Trojans runs with the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the game on December 3, 2005 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won 66-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/G

Reggie Bush's character issues at least weren't criminal. We are all well aware by now that Reggie has been accused of accepting improper benefits while at USC. He most recently returned his Heisman trophy to the Heisman Trust but claimed it was not an admission of guilt. I don't know of anyone that would return a trophy without being guilty but perhaps Reggie is unlike anyone I know.

Maurice Clarett: Ohio State Buckeyes

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TEMPE, AZ - JANUARY 3: Freshman running back Maurice Clarett #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes takes in the BCS Championship victory over the University of Miami Hurricanes in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium on January 3, 2003 in Tempe, Arizo

Maurice Clarett was a rising star in his freshman season at Ohio State. Coming out of high school he set the Ohio State record for freshman by gaining 1,237 yards on the ground. He was a key component to his team that would eventually play for the national championship against Miami. During the National Championship he made a key play stripping Sean Taylor of the ball after he intercepted a pass.

Things quickly went downhill for Clarett. His disruptions include yelling at one of his coaches, making a scene about the school not paying to fly him to a friend's funeral, and accusations of academic misconduct.

This was topped off with his dismissal from the school when he filed a false police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash, and stereo equipment were stolen from a car he borrowed. He eventually plead guilty to failure to aid a law enforcement official, a lesser charge.

After his NFL career turned out to be nothing, his criminal career took off. He would eventually spend three-and-a-half years in jail stemming from robbery charges and an incident where he was pulled over for making an illegal U-turn where police discovered a katana, a loaded AK-47, and two other loaded handguns in his vehicle along with an open bottle of vodka in his car.

Peter Warrick: Florida State Seminoles

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5 Jan 2000: Peter Warrick #9 of the Florida State Seminoles smiles and holds his trophy for MVP of the game after the Nokita Sugar Bowl Game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Seminoles defeated the

During Warrick's senior season at Florida State, he and teammate Laveranues Coles went to a Dillard's in Tallahassee and bought $412.38 worth of clothing for $21.40. Although that may sound like a good deal or day after Thanksgiving sale, it is considered shoplifting according to Florida law.

He received a two-game suspension following the arrest. Florida Gator fans brought Dillard's bags to Florida field during that year's rivalry game that Florida State won. Warrick was on track to be a Heisman finalist and was considered the favorite to win the award at the time. He would eventually close his collegiate career with a Sugar Bowl MVP and finished sixth in the Heisman race.

Lawrence Phillips: Nebraska Cornhuskers

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2 Jan 1996: Running back Lawrence Phillips #1 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers breaks throught the attempted arm tackle by an unidentified Florida Gators defender during the Cornhuskers 62-54 victory over the Gators in the Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in

At the beginning of Lawrence Phillips' junior season at Nebraska he was considered a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. Then came the arrest and suspension he received for assaulting his girlfriend. The story cast a cloud over the program with some speculating that Head Coach Tom Osborne was coddling the young star.

Osborne denied those perceptions and felt that kicking him off the team would do more harm than good. After the suspension he returned to the team and started in the National Championship victory against the Florida Gators.

After college he continued to have off-the-field issues including being found guilty of seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon.